Lenoir man sentenced in 2012 shooting

A man accused of shooting two people nearly two years ago in an argument about drugs was convicted and sentenced Monday to more than five years in prison.

Justin Marqui Caldwell, 26, of Robbins Avenue pleaded guilty Monday in Caldwell Superior Court to two counts of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury and one count of possession of a firearm by a felon. He was sentenced to 35 to 64 months in prison but will get credit for the time he has been in jail awaiting trial, which is about 21 months.

According to assistant district attorney Dawn Tutterow, on April 8, 2012, Caldwell was upset over some illegal drugs that had been stolen from him the night before. Caldwell saw Kiandra Boston, 20, of Buffalo Cove Road, one of the people he blamed, at a convenience store on N.C. 18 and forced her into his car. He took her to Spainhour Street, where Caldwell argued with another person he blamed, Typhin Tremain Miles, 25, of Wheeler Street. After Miles pulled out a knife, Caldwell pulled a handgun out and shot Miles in the leg and hip and Boston in the lower leg.

Lenoir police officers arrived to find Boston and Miles lying in the street. A handgun was found nearby. Miles and Boston were taken to Caldwell Memorial Hospital and then to Carolinas Medical Center.

Witnesses told officers that Caldwell got into a red car that quickly drove off. Police stopped a red car a short time later on Beall Street. Inside were Caldwell, Kasey Danielle McGhinnis, 22, and Stephanie Nicole Laws, 21, both of Lenoir. MGhinnis and Laws were later charged with being an accessory after the fact.